Wreckage of vessel surfaces near Canouan after U.S. lethal strike
There is growing anxiety among Caribbean fishermen following a series of deadly military strikes conducted by the United States. On 13, February 2026, the U.S. Southern Command confirmed neutralising a vessel linked to alleged terrorist organisations.
While American officials reported three fatalities from a single engagement, local fishermen describe a second mysterious explosion involving a small boat that left two individuals missing off Owia, northern St Vincent.
St Vincent Times was told by multiple sources that possible St Lucia fishermen were killed during the second unconfirmed U.S strike off St Vincent’s northern coast.
On Monday, St Lucia’s Prime Minister, Philip J. Pierre, addressed reports circulating across the region, which he says have raised concern among St Lucian citizens.
“Today, I addressed reports circulating across the region that have raised concern among our citizens.
Let me assure the nation: the Government of Saint Lucia is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to verify the facts. We will communicate confirmed information to the public promptly and responsibly.
In matters affecting national security and regional stability, speculation has no place. Our approach is disciplined, fact-based, and guided by the singular priority of protecting the people and interests of Saint Lucia”.
Overlapping accounts of wreckage and missing persons have raised urgent questions regarding the transparency of these military operations.
Remnants of an alleged drug boat blown up in a lethal strike by the U.S. military last week surfaced off Canouan on Saturday, while fishermen in Northern St Vincent, reported a second wreckage.
Fishermen who made the discovery said, the bow of the boat was still visible with the engine and most of the hull submerged.
The location of the find raises questions about whether the boat was blown up in international waters or in the territorial waters of St Vincent and St Lucia.
The St Vincent government has not issued any word on the strikes or confirmed if they did indeed take place it within its seascape.
The Trump administration has adamantly defended the strikes as necessary to stop illegal drugs from entering the U.S. Since the strikes began in September, at least 37 strikes have killed 120 people, excluding Friday’s strike, according to the Department of Defense.